Nursing is a rewarding job, but the days can be long and exhausting.
As a retired nurse with a list of certifications under your belt, you’ve worked countless hours in a traditional hospital setting and you’re ready for a change.
Are there other types of nursing opportunities available to you?
Both travel nursing and per diem nursing can be fulfilling positions for an experienced nurse looking for a change — you can even be a travel nurse who works per diem.
Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of per diem vs. travel nursing to help determine which path might be the best career move for you.
Table of Contents
- Travel Nurse vs. Per Diem Nurse: What Is the Difference?
- Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing: Benefits and Drawbacks of Both Positions
- FAQs Regarding Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing
- Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing: Trusted Nurse Staffing Can Help You Secure a Contract
Travel Nurse vs. Per Diem Nurse: What Is the Difference?
Are you searching for a nursing position outside of the traditional staff registered nurse (RN) role? Both travel nursing and per diem nursing offer abundant opportunities for you to work outside of one facility and dip your toes into many environments and, potentially, specialties.
However, the two are not the same. Working as a per diem nurse and a travel nurse are two separate positions, each with their specific descriptions and roles.
A per diem nurse:
- Fills open shifts on an as-needed basis
- Can choose where, when, and how often they work
- Can gain experience across multiple settings
- Typically works close to home
- Receives premium hourly pay
- Does not receive many (if any) benefits
- May choose or be required to work different shifts or units within one facility
A travel nurse:
- Works temporary contracts at different locations across the country
- Is offered stipends for housing, food, and travel
- Receives a high pay rate, bonuses, and benefits
- Can gain new skills, meet new people, and explore new places
- Might be required to work long hours, overnights, or weekends
Travel Nurse
Travel nurses typically work contracts that vary in different cities and states across the country. Each contract offers opportunities at different healthcare facilities, wherever extra help might be needed. It’s even possible to be a travel nurse who stays local to your home state.
A typical travel nurse contract is 13 weeks, but they can be as short as 4-6 weeks or offer opportunities to extend longer than 13 weeks.
With these contracts, many expenses associated with travel costs are covered with a stipend:
- Meals
- Housing
- Travel (driving mileage, gas, airfare, etc.)
- Incidentals
Travel nursing comes with many benefits, one being the ability to travel all around the country for an extended time while being paid for it.
Per Diem Nurse
A per diem nurse works more like an on-call nurse — they fill in for whatever a facility needs.
If you’re a nurse working per diem, you might be asked to work for:
- Same-day illness callouts
- Staff nurses who are on vacation
- Seasonal staffing coverage (holidays, flu season, etc.)
- Holiday coverage
Per diem nursing comes with a major benefit, too — the ability to decline any offer and the flexibility to accept work when you want it.
Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing: Benefits and Drawbacks of Both Positions
If you’re a staff nurse looking for more flexibility and a chance to work outside of your facility’s four walls, both per diem and travel nursing might seem immediately attractive.
Although there are many benefits to both travel and per diem nursing, there are also some drawbacks to be aware of before making your decision on which way to go.
Benefits of Per Diem Nursing
Working on call, or per diem, might be your speed if you’re looking for work flexibility while also staying close to home.
Flexible Schedule
Per diem nurses work on an “as needed” basis, so they have more flexibility and freedom to accept or decline any position that comes their way.
Maybe, pre-marriage and pre-kids, you worked as a full-time RN in your city’s local hospital. Now you’re married with multiple young kids, and juggling your work schedule and a bunch of kids is becoming difficult to manage. You know if you step away from nursing completely, you’ll feel like you’re losing a part of your identity, but you also truly love being the primary caregiver for your children.
Sound familiar? A per diem nursing position might be a perfect fit for you.
No Travel Required
Working when and where you’re needed sounds great — you’re not bound to a schedule and you can accept or decline anything that comes your way. But, you’re not interested in leaving home for an extended time.
Per diem nursing allows you to work where you’re needed, but all offered positions are local to your area so you don’t have to worry about being away for days, weeks, or months at a time. Simply drive to the scheduled facility, work your shift, and head back home.
Drawbacks of Per Diem Nursing
Per diem nursing sounds glamorous, but if you’re looking for a full-time career that offers a guaranteed income and stable benefits, keep on going.
Instead, per diem nursing might be a better fit for:
- A stay-at-home parent looking to practice their skills as time allows
- Someone hoping to make extra money with a second income
- A nurse who no longer works full-time but wants to keep their license active
No Job Security
Because per diem means you’re working as you’re needed, there is a chance that your scheduled shift could be canceled at any time. If you were relying on the money you’d be making from a shift and it gets taken from you at the last minute, this could put you in a bind.
For example:
As a per diem nurse, you were asked a month in advance to work for one week, covering an employee’s shifts at a local hospital. You are eager to work and happily accepted the position. Now, just days before the scheduled shift, you are notified that the employee had to cancel their vacation and instead can work their shift.
Where does that leave you? Out of work with little to no time to find other shifts for that upcoming week.
If job security is important and having work canceled at any time might be a burden to you, per diem nursing may not be the best fit.
No Health or Retirement Benefits
Per diem nurses are not locked into contracts, do not work full-time, and have no job security. Because of this, per diem nursing jobs cannot offer health or retirement benefits.
Maybe you have access to these benefits elsewhere — maybe through a second job you have or your spouse’s job — but if per diem nursing is your only source of work, you should consider this disadvantage.
Benefits of Travel Nursing
You have a love for traveling, you enjoy meeting new people, and you love your job as a nurse — travel nursing could be the perfect job opportunity for you.
All of these perks, plus the guaranteed hours and locked-in contract are enticing. And with the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), working as a travel nurse in almost any state is easier than ever before.
Need help finding a travel nursing position? Trusted Nurse Staffing is equipped with recruiters who are eager to help you find your next contract. Head to Pronto to start searching for available contracts today.
Guaranteed Hours
A travel nurse contract locks you into the position and facility you’ve agreed to work for the stated amount of time.
The contract guarantees your position and covers things like:
- A specific length of time to work
- Specific days off
- Rules for floating
- Benefits
- Pay
- And more
Once you’ve accepted, reviewed, and signed your contract, you can rest easy knowing your position isn’t going anywhere and you have guaranteed hours of work for the length of your contract.
Once the contract ends, you can already have another lined up to jump right into, take some time off, or extend your current contract if you really loved the position or facility you were assigned. Your recruiter at Trusted Nurse Staffing can help you with all of these processes to make transitioning simple and stress-free.
Positions Can’t Be Canceled
It’s simple — once your contract is reviewed and signed, it can’t be taken away.
This is an easy way to guarantee work and money, hopefully lessening any possible financial strains.
Drawbacks of Travel Nursing
Many people believe travel nursing is like going on vacation — all rainbows and butterflies.
While there is often available time for sightseeing, exploring, and relaxing days off, there are many strains that come with travel nursing that can be difficult to navigate.
Less Flexibility in Scheduling
Travel nurses are usually in high demand, filling in at facilities that need extra help.
Sometimes, this means you have little to no say in your schedule. You might be working overtime, weekends, overnights, or holidays, all depending on what the contract requires.
If you need time off, it’s best to request it before signing your contract. Your travel nurse recruiter can help you negotiate this time off, but keep in mind that it won’t always be approved, depending on the needs of the facility.
Live Away From Friends and Family
If you’re a single travel nurse, the idea of taking advantage of traveling away from home often might be intriguing. Many travel nurses are married with families, too. No matter which it is, you’re likely leaving behind close friendships and loved ones when you travel as a nurse.
Although living and working somewhere new can be an exciting experience, this can be a difficult pill to swallow.
In many cases, it’s easy to bring your family with you on your travel nurse assignment. Just be sure this is worked into your contract before you sign it.
But if being away from your extended family and close friends for weeks at a time isn’t your thing, travel nursing might not be the best fit for you.
FAQs Regarding Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing
Deciding between working as a travel nurse vs. per diem nurse goes far beyond considering the pros and cons of each position. You might have lingering questions about pay, how to find work and more.
Consider these FAQs regarding per diem and travel nurse opportunities before making your choice on which to pursue.
Which Nursing Opportunity Pays More?
We can’t be clear on which nursing opportunity pays more because many factors come into play in both positions that could determine the final pay rate for each type of nurse.
Consider travel nurses:
- You can negotiate contracts, pulling for higher pay if you feel it’s necessary.
- Your nursing specialty and experience can play a part in how much you make.
- You receive health and retirement benefits, plus more, which tie into overall earnings.
On average, travel nurses can make $2,094 per week. They’ll also receive stipends for food, travel, meals, and incidentals.
Now consider per diem nurses. Their pay is based on factors like:
- Geographical location
- Experience
- Specialty
- Shift they’re covering
- The facility they’re working in
On average, per diem nurses make between $30 and $40 per hour.
It’s possible a per diem nurse makes more money per shift than a travel nurse, but work is never guaranteed. A travel nurse could be guaranteed 52 shifts over a 13-week contract with the opportunity to pick up overtime plus receive benefits, whereas a per diem nurse might only be offered 13 shifts over that same 13-week period.
Here’s an example:
A travel nurse might be guaranteed four 12-hour shifts per week during a 13-week contract. With an average pay of $2,094 per week, that nurse is making about $27,222 for the contract (not including any extra benefits or stipends).
A per diem nurse might be offered one 12-hour shift per week over those same 13 weeks. At a pay of $35 an hour, that nurse makes $5,460 over 13 weeks.
How Do Both Per Diem and Travel Nurses Find Their Positions?
Finding work as a travel nurse or per diem nurse might seem scary if you’re walking away from being a full-time staff nurse, but working with a trusted agency is the best way to make finding positions easy and stress-free.
As a travel nurse, working with an experienced travel nurse agency, like Trusted Nurse Staffing, is the way to go. Agencies have recruiters who help:
- Find the type of job you’re looking for
- Negotiate contracts
- Organize everything you need for your position
- And more
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, we work to accommodate all of your requests. We understand that work flexibility, travel opportunities, and worthwhile contracts are important to you, and we’re here to help.
As a per diem nurse, you often work independently to find open positions based on connections you’ve made. You might:
- Fill in at a facility you worked with in the past
- Know healthcare providers throughout the area; or
- Frequent healthcare facilities actively searching for work
But did you know that per diem nurses can also work with agencies that specialize in helping them find job opportunities in their area? Trusted Nurse Staffing works with per diem nurses and travel nurses who want to work per diem. Contact us today for help.
Does One Offer a Better Work-Life Balance Than the Other?
Both travel nursing and per diem nursing offer flexibility in your work schedule so you can enjoy a better work-life balance. We can’t tell you if one is better than the other — that all depends on what you consider a balance.
If having a set plan in place to be away for a set number of weeks and then back home for a week or two before starting another contract is your idea of work-life balance, then travel nursing would be great.
If you prefer having the opportunity to be home most of the time and only accept jobs when you need them or when they seem convenient, per diem nursing might be best.
No matter which you choose, both travel nursing and per diem nursing can offer a semblance of work-life balance, you just have to know what you’re looking for.
How Do I Know if Per Diem Nursing or Travel Nursing Is Right for Me?
Need help guiding your decision in per diem vs. travel nursing? Taking the time to consider these questions might help you find your answer:
- How much flexibility do you desire? Although both nursing opportunities allow for some flexibility, travel nursing is more structured and concrete than per diem nursing. You’re tied into contracts, must be away from home, and have pre-planned time off. With per diem nursing, you’re not committed to anything and can pick and choose when, where, and how you work.
- Are you looking for adventure? Per diem nurses work locally, often in familiar settings. As a travel nurse, you’ll have the opportunity to travel the country, seeking assignments in places you’d love to visit.
- What are your financial goals? Travel nurses receive higher compensation (pay and benefits) than per diem nurses, so if you have big financial goals, travel nursing might be the better choice.
- Do you need benefits and retirement? Per diem nurses are not offered health benefits or retirement plans. Unless you receive these benefits elsewhere, you might consider travel nursing so you’re more secure in these areas.
- How comfortable are you with the unknown? If you’re looking for routine, staying in an environment you know, and being near friends and family, per diem nursing might be your choice. If you’re ready to face the unknown and meet new people, see new places, and experience new things every few weeks, travel nursing could be best.
If you’re still feeling unsure, you can meet with a recruiter at Trusted Nurse Staffing and talk through all of your options, concerns, and questions. We’ll help you figure out which nursing career path might suit you best and help you get started.
Per Diem vs. Travel Nursing: Trusted Nurse Staffing Can Help You Secure a Contract
Are you a registered nurse looking for a change in your career? Considering the job security, flexibility, finances, and benefits of working as a travel nurse vs. per diem nurse can help you decide what might be the best next step.
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, our recruiters can talk you through the options available. Maybe you ultimately decide to become a travel nurse who works per diem. Whatever it might be, our recruiters can help you find the work you’re looking for around the country or close to home.
We’ll help you:
- Customize your resume
- Find available positions
- Negotiate contracts
- Pursue continuing education opportunities
- And more
Ready to search for the perfect travel nursing positions available? Search Pronto for open contracts and get in touch with a recruiter today.